Have chair, will travel

Ruapehu Bulletin, 25 August 1992, Page 5

Have chair, will travel

BY

JAN

SAVELL

Wind, rain or snow won't stop quadriplegic Trevor Cullen in his journey from Palmerston North to Auckland in his powered wheelchair,. His trip is to raise public awareness of the disabled and promote the Prudential Independent Living Exposition running in Auckland from 3-5 September. On Thiirsday he stayed in Waiouru and was looking forward to tackling the Desert Road. "We travel

on, whatever the weather," he said, but he did admit he was planning on wearing a wetsuit for the highest part of his joumey! Before the diving accident which left him a quadriplegic, Trevor was a, chef in the Royal New Zealand Navy. He had a strong interest in sport and continued this as rehabilita- j tion, now holding several New Zealand records. He is one of the few disabled people to compete in motor sport. He has a commit- j ment to helping newly dis-

abled people develop the same sort of positive approach to their personal problems. "My accident in 1969 just stopped me doing one thing," he says. A severe car accident in 1989 put Trevor's mobility back still further. In the last three years, work on refining a powerchair has played a large part in his life. The battery powered chair has an average speed of six kilometres per hour. Two batteries which run the 24 V motor are

recharged overnight. Trevor steers the chair with a joy-stick and is enthusiastic about it's capabilities. "The chair has been built for the severely disabled to use at home or work. It was designed for reliability and comfort," said Trevor, who is a consultant with Fisher & Paykel. The chair's performance on the 500km run is being monitored and the results will help in the development of a New Zealand made powerchair for the severely disabled.